2016 was nothing compared to 2005

Georgina Hole from the Glasto Gals group said: “I was camping in Pennards that year! Luckily I was further uphill but there was a river running under my tent, when we finally ventured out we were greeted with the bottom of the field under about four foot of water. Just the very tops of the tents were poking out.

“The mud was pretty epic that year – knee high slop in most places.”

Carin Dey said: "That year I win a pair of tickets for glasto. The radio station phoned me asking what it was like. My response: don't know, haven't been out of my tent yet!"

Kate Brittain said: "It was brilliant! The storm raged for hours! I was in the camper van field and we had to walk miles out of our way as we couldn't get through one gate as it had been flooded so badly. That's the year I first took my son."

an aerial view of the water logged site in 2005 (Image: PA)

100 people seek sanctuary

In 2005 the Sanctuary Tent lived up to its name when more than 100 temporary refugees found dry blankets and a night’s sleep there.

Local volunteers, members of Churches Together in Somerset, were able to provide shelter for them at the Sanctuary Tent.

Working in six-hour shifts, in groups of 14 volunteers at a time, the volunteers also gave out clean water and dry socks to people whose tents had been flooded, as well as offering comfort and a listening ear.

Girls walking through the water at Glastonbury in 2005 (Image: PA)

One festival-goer said: “This tent is supposed to be about making poverty history.

“Until today I didn’t know what poverty was like. Now I’ve lost everything.”

Another wrote a comment on the wall: “We lost our tents and everything.

“All we have left is hope.”

Doug Lowe, who was in overall charge of the operation, said: “Rain or shine, we can cope in the Sanctuary Tent.”

One of the Sanctuary Tent’s volunteers nicknamed it “the Pilton Hilton”.